Transgender man gives birth to baby boy in Portland, Oregon

A transgender man has given birth to a baby boy with his partner of seven years in Portland, Oregon. Trystan Reese and Biff Chaplow welcomed their son Leo Murray Chaplow on 14 July.

The baby boy is the couple’s first biological child, but they also adopted Chaplow’s niece and nephew in 2011, CNN reported.

“I would say it’s unique,” Reese told KATU. “I understand that people are not used to two men having a biological child between the two of them. So we know it’s unique.”

Reese, who was born female, began taking hormones to transition about a decade ago which he stopped taking when pregnant. “We’ve been under medical supervision the entire time,” he told CNN in June, “to make it as healthy and safe as possible”.

The couple experienced a miscarriage before Reece became pregnant with Leo. He believed he had missed his opportunity to have children of his own, The Independent reported.

“We hope that people will see that this is just another way how love shows up in the world,” Reese told KATU when pregnant with Leo.

Chaplow described when Leo was born.

“The moment that he was born was just like a pure moment of bliss, like the happiest moment of my life,” he said. “To see the very beginning of Leo, of his life, was just like amazing.”

The couple document their lives as parents and posted updates throughout the pregnancy on their Facebook page, CNN reported.

In May, Reese posted a video to explain his decision to carry a baby as a transgender man. “I’m OK with my body being a trans body,” he said. “I’m OK being a man who has a uterus and has the capacity and capability of carrying a baby.”

The new parents said they have received the support of their friends and family but have received some backlash from people online. “We find that behind the shroud of anonymity, people feel pretty empowered to tell us what should happen to us, to our children, to our family,” Reese said.

“The reason why you have a kid is because you want to see more love in the world, and remembering how difficult that’s going to be, it’s hard,” he added. – IBTimes